Joining Surfaces in x4?

[motor-vater]

Is there anyway to just turn these two surfaces into a single surface??? Thank you

[Colin Gilchrist]

Yes.

[motor-vater]

This would really help if I knew how to do this. Ive been projecting splines and trying to recreate the surface with the bulge but on top of being time consuming I loose a lot of the detail in my surface. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[ 04-12-2010, 01:42 AM: Message edited by: motor-vater ]

[Colin Gilchrist]

Can you put a sample file on the FTP site? I was being blunt in my first response on purpose, because you did not include enough detail in your first post for any of us to really help you.

 

First, it is really hard to figure out what those surfaces represent. Is it a port shape?

 

What kind of problems are you having? Is it a toolpath problem? Maybe you don't need to have a single surface, it might just be a toolpath setting...

 

There are many different tools in Mastercam to overcome some of these challenges.

 

If you really need to remodel the shape, I would start by creating some planes that are perpendicular to the centerline of the port, and using these planes with Create > Curve > Slice to create your profile curves, then you could use Create > Surface > Ruled/Loft and make sure you are set to 'loft'. Your resolution will depend on how many 'slices' you take of the geometry. It should be pretty easy to get enough detail.

 

But again, if this is just a toolpath issue, maybe you don't need to mess with the surfaces at all...

[motor-vater]

I will try to post it tomorrow, thanks for taking the time for a newb. It is a port, and I am having to put a vertical cylinder shape through the side of it, in order to provide more material in a thin area. It will not tool path correctly with a flow line 5 axis, the tool path I normally use on ports. Because it wants to machine them both as independent surfaces rather then one consistent spiral.. I'm sure there are ways in advanced 5 axis but i get frustrated with trying to find the right filtering settings cause it takes 15 minutes to regen the op.... I literally spent 3 days straight playing with that once and almost lost a good friend last time I played with those...

 

As far as creating new splines/curves its a ton of work. not the projecting but the blending of the splines, the breaking the splines in 10 spots to get the surface to lay right. I'm really just hoping there is an easy way like in other cad/cam's where they just have something like Surface/Combine that would really make my day...lol

[Guest SAIPEM]

If you are going to be working with surfaces, get Rhino 3D.

 

http://www.rhino3d.com/

 

It takes seconds to merge them.

 

Dollar for Dollar, it is the best surface modeler available and makes creating and editing surface MUCH easier than the native tools in Mastercam.

 

Mastercam opens the Native Rhino file so it is painless to get the data into Mastercam.

[motor-vater]

Ok have the free demo, what file type should I import and export my surfaces as, to get them in I found that I had to bring splines in and recreate surfaces? Thanks for your help

[motor-vater]

Ok I think I have it on the FTP! it was just a qwick slam on toolpaths I would have played with the filters more if it was not a sample. But I am also interested on some toolpath and filter tips if any sees fit, Thanks a bunch...

 

ftp://mastercam:[email protected]...%20QUESTION.MCX

[Guest SAIPEM]

Pete,

 

When you have the surfaces merged in Rhino, save it as a Native Rhino *.3dm file.

 

Mastercam can open that file format directly.

[motor-vater]

What should I bring it into Rhino as. Everything I have tried doesnt work to import the surface to Rhino??

[Colin Gilchrist]

It should take an IGES file...

[motor-vater]

Tried every way with Rhino to merge the surfaces doesn't seem to work. FML!!!!!

[gaijin_2007]

Can you put the IGS file you're trying to import into Rhino on the FTP?

[motor-vater]

Thought I would share the solution to the problem that I was having. After talking to Aaron at Centroid CNC I found that it was not necessary to trim and combine the 2 surfaces. We used an advanced 5 axis toolpath and pick the main surface/port as the drive surface and the secondary surface as a check surface. It toolpaths flawlessly!!!

 

There is still no way that I have discovered in X4 to join surfaces but there are apparently plenty of ways to toolpath them...

 

Thank you to everyone that jumped in to help....